Feb 20
Wes Ball details the setting for Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes. New set pictures reveal Disney’s live-action take on Lilo & Stitch. Plus, another Marvel Netflix star wants to make a return for Daredevil: Born Again. Spoilers, away!
Feb 20
The PlayStation Portal has turned out to be a bit of a surprise hit for Sony. The portable peripheral is often out of stock and hard to come by, even though it does just one thing: stream games from your own PlayStation 5. The device does not run games locally — unless you find a way to modify it to do so.
Two Google engineers claim to have done just that by getting PPSSPP, a PlayStation Portable emulator, to work natively on the Portal. A photo shows Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories running on the system. Andy Nguyen, one of the engineers, says that no hardware modifications were required to make the emulator run and that the project took “more than a month of hard work” to see through.
After more than a month of hard work, PPSSPP is running natively on PlayStation Portal. Yes, we hacked it. With help from xyz and @ZetaTwo pic.twitter.com/AXuRROo6Ip
— Andy Nguyen (@theflow0) February 19, 2024
Nguyen has discovered PS4 and PS5 exploits in the past, as The Verge notes. It’s not yet clear whether Nguyen will detail how to get PPSSPP working or release a jailbreak so that other folks can install the emulator on the Portal with relative ease. “There’s no release planned in the near future, and there’s much more work to be done,” Nguyen wrote on X. However, Nguyen hinted at posting some videos this weekend to show the emulator in action.
The Portal is clearly popular and it’s evident that players yearn to be able to do more with the system. As things stand, they can’t even stream games from Sony’s cloud gaming service. Perhaps these factors might be enough to convince Sony to give many fans what they truly want: a proper handheld successor to the PSP and the Vita.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/google-engineers-modded-a-playstation-portal-to-emulate-psp-games-152256608.html?src=rss
Feb 20
We’ve already gotten one scary look at Civil War, and the new trailer for Alex Garland’s near-future action thriller is just as chilling—it’s light on fresh plot details, but heavy on disturbing atmosphere. America has splintered into factions at war with each other, with civilians, cities, and even beloved national…
Feb 20
Marco Troper, the 19-year-old son of former YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki, was found dead last week in his dorm room at the University of Berkeley.
Feb 20
Apple Music is building on its annual Replay feature by offering a monthly version. The annual Replay playlist will still be available, but the monthly option should offer a more granular look at your listening history.
Simply visit replay.music.apple.com and sign in with the same Apple ID you use for Apple Music. You’ll be able to view your top songs, albums and artists, as well as your personal milestones for each month. Apple will archive these stats as well, so you can revisit them later.
I don’t exactly need Apple to tell me that I spent much of the last few weeks listening to Deacon Blue, Charlotte Cardin and Gang of Youths’ blistering cover of LCD Soundsystem’s “All My Friends” on repeat. Still, being able to revisit my February 2024 replay years from now should provide a nice little reminder as to what I was absorbing in this period of my life.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apple-music-debuts-a-monthly-version-of-its-annual-replay-feature-140042667.html?src=rss
Feb 20
Saving a wet iPhone by putting it in a bowl or bag of uncooked rice has been a popular go-to rescue method for years, with the logic being that the rice absorbs the excess water from the phone. However, the God of iPhones has recently warned poor mortals against resorting to rice in these situations, saying it could…
Feb 20
Walmart is buying Smart TV manufacturer Vizio for $2.3 billion, the US retail giant announced as part of its latest earnings report. While Walmart has long been one of the major sellers of Vizio TVs, the company says the acquisition “enables a profitable advertising business that is rapidly scaling” via the company’s SmartCast OS. The deal is still subject to regulatory approval.
Vizio sells solid mid-range TVs, most equipped with its SmartCast operating system that supports free ad-supported content. The company recently refreshed its lineup with a more intuitive user interface and faster startups and app switching.
Walmart, meanwhile, prominently features the brand on its shelves (along with TCL), as anyone who has gone there lately has probably noticed. The retailer already has its own TV house brand, ONN, but those sets are very much on the low end, usually selling for under $500.
More importantly, the companies plan to combine their respective ad businesses. Walmart already has a $2.7 billion ad business, but Vizio would increase its access to key consumer info like viewership data. It would also effectively give Walmart more eyeballs for its ads — for instance, companies that sell goods at Walmart could also run ads on Vizio TVs, all of which could be tracked by the retailer.
“We believe the combination of these two businesses would be impactful as we redefine the intersection of retail and entertainment,” said Walmart VP Seth Dallaire. “Our technology will help bring a scaled, connected TV advertising platform to Walmart Connect,” added Vizio CEO William Wang.
The acquisition may also be a counter to Amazon’s in-house Fire TV business, both in terms of television retailing and advertising, as The Wall Street Journal reported last week. Amazon has one of the largest ad businesses in the US behind Alphabet and Meta, and smart TVs help it gather personalized consumer data for targeted advertising.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/walmart-is-buying-smart-tv-maker-vizio-for-23-billion-130725953.html?src=rss
Feb 20
Anker has an ongoing sale for Presidents’ Day at Amazon, and you can grab a bunch of charging accessories you may need at a discount. If you want a 20,000mAh portable charger that’s noticeably smaller, slimmer and easier to carry than its peers with the same capacity, there’s the Anker Power Bank Battery Pack with a built-in USB-C cord that doubles as a carrying strap. The power bank measures 4.5 x 2.8 x 1.2 inches and isn’t only available in black and white, but also in green, pink and purple. It has a 22.5W output, can charge a phone three to four times — or charge up to three devices at once — and even has an integrated phone stand for when you want to watch videos while charging. The model originally sells for $45, but you can get it for $33.74 from this sale.
Need a wall charger that’s fast and compact? You can get the Anker Prime 100W GaN Wall Charger for only $68 instead of $87. It has two USB-C ports and one USB-A port, and you can use up to two of them with a max output of 100 watts. The model is less than half the size of a MacBook charger, making it easier to pack and carry for your laptop, though you can also use it to charge your phones and tablets. If you don’t need a GaN charger with a 100W output, you can get the Anker Nano 65W GaN II Charger instead. It has a smaller output and only one USB-port, but it’s also much cheaper: You can get it from the sale for $28, down 44 percent from its $50 retail price. Like the Prime 100W, you can use the Nano 65W for your laptops, tablets and phones.
Anker also has a 100W MacBook charger on sale. It works even with a 16-inch MacBook Pro, but you can also use it to power various devices. While it’s built like a typical MacBook charger, it’s smaller, has a foldable plug and comes with a 5-foot USB-C-to-USB-C cable. This model typically sells for $38, but you can grab one from the sale for only $25.49.
If what you need is a charger with multiple ports, though, you may want to take a look at Anker’s 240W 4-Port GaN Charger. It has three USB-C ports and one USB-A port, so you can plug in multiple devices at once. One of those USB-C ports can provide an output of 140W, while the other three ports share a 100W output. While Anker’s 4-Port GaN charger typically costs $200, you can get it right now for only $130. And in case all you need is a new iPhone charging cable, you can take this chance to grab a two-pack at a discount. Anker is selling its two-pack six-foot USB-A-to-Lightning cables that use premium nylon material for only $17.09 instead of $20.
Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribe to the Engadget Deals newsletter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/anker-battery-packs-and-charging-accessories-are-up-to-44-percent-off-113301650.html?src=rss
Feb 20
Nintendo’s Switch 2 (not its official name) was widely expected to arrive sometime this year, but that may not happen. Now, the company is reportedly telling publishers the next-gen console is slated for release in the first quarter of 2025.
If that did happen, it would mimic the release of the original Switch, which was announced in October 2016 and came out in March 2017.
What can you expect from Nintendo’s next console? We don’t know much yet, including the name. Rumors suggest it’ll have backward compatibility with Switch, along with 4K capabilities and visual quality similar to that of the PS5 and Series X. It could use NVIDIA’s DLSS upscaling tech to ramp up the graphics of older games, too.
In the interim, there’s a Nintendo Direct tomorrow that will focus on new third-party games.
— Mat Smith
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The EU opens a wide-ranging probe into TikTok
It’s looking into addictive algorithms, harmful content, privacy and more.
TikTok is in the EU’s crosshairs over potential Digital Services Act (DSA) breaches around the safety of minors and other matters. The formal proceedings will focus on addictive algorithms, the rabbit-hole effect, age verification issues and default privacy settings. It’s getting into it: The European Commission will also probe ad transparency and data access for researchers.
The safety of young users seems to be a major driver: It will force the social media site to ensure high levels of privacy, safety and security for minors with default privacy settings — like it did for Meta’s Instagram and Facebook.
Sony A9 III camera review
The future of cameras is fast.
Engadget
Sony laid down a gauntlet with the 24.6-megapixel A9 III. It’s the world’s first mirrorless camera with a global shutter, a much-awaited holy grail feature. It completely eliminates rolling shutter distortion found on CMOS cameras by reading the entire sensor at once. It also boosts speed and removes the need for a mechanical shutter. However, as the first of its kind for Sony cameras, it’s expensive ($6,000) and has a reduction in still image quality, due to the nature of a global shutter. But the benefits far outweigh those — this is one fast, accurate camera. Check out the full review.
The UK moves another step closer to banning phones in schools
France and Italy already restrict phones during class.
Experts and regulators have expressed concerns about children’s wellbeing and distraction due to their phones while at school. The UK government has become the latest to announce guidance for banning the use of phones during school. It follows other European countries, like France and Italy, which prohibit phones in classrooms.
Some schools in the UK already have no-phone policies in place, but these guidelines could bring widespread adoption and uniformity. “This is about achieving clarity and consistency in practice, backing headteachers and leaders and giving staff confidence to act,” Gillian Keegan, the UK’s secretary of state for education, said in a press release.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-morning-after-nintendos-next-console-may-not-arrive-until-2025-121556644.html?src=rss
Feb 20
Fujifilm's X100VI is a big step forward for the TikTok-famous compact camera
Posted in: Today's ChiliFujifilm’s X100V was the toy to have over the last couple of years (thanks, TikTok) and the company has now released its successor, the 40.2-megapixel X100 VI, with large improvements across the board. While keeping the same retro form, it offers much faster shooting speeds, in-body stabilization, 6.2K 30p video and more.
The X100VI looks identical to the previous model, with the same styling and control positions. The series was conceived as a street photography camera, borrowing a lot of styling cues from Leica’s famous rangefinder cameras. As such, it doesn’t have the world’s great ergonomics, but is light at 521 grams, discreet for shooting and can slide into a jacket pocket.
Fujifilm
Fujifilm elected to go with the same 40.2-megapixel (MP) APS-C sensor as the much bigger X-H2, significantly boosting resolution over the X100V. I think that’s a wise choice as it gives the camera — which has a wide-angle fixed 23mmm f/2.0 lens (35mm full-frame equivalent) — more cropping options. The price for that is likely a small drop in low-light sensitivity.
Another big new feature on the X100VI is built-in 5-axis stabilization with up to 6 stops of shake reduction. Given the X100VI’s small body, it’s an unexpected but welcome feature, and will be a big help to street photographers taking candid shots on the fly.
The X100V keeps the same 3.69-million dot hybrid optical viewfinder and 1.62-million dot LCD display, but the latter now tilts downward an extra 15 degrees to make shooting from above easier. It retains the same battery as before (CIPA rated for 300 shots), and unfortunately, the same slow UHS-I card slot.
Fujifilm
The X100VI still shoots at 11fps with the mechanical shutter and 20fps in electronic mode, but autofocus is quicker and more capable, according to Fujifilm. It now offers the company’s latest tracking and face/eye detection, along with animal/vehicle and other types of subject detection.
Image quality should be improved as well with the extra resolution and a lower native 125 ISO. And since a lot of the newfound social media popularity of this camera is based on the film simulation modes, the camera comes with 20 built-in, including a new one called Reala Ace, designed to offer “faithful color reproduction and contrast tonality.”
Fujifilm
Finally, one usually doesn’t think of video when it comes to this series, but the X100VI is surprisingly capable for a tiny compact. It can shoot 6.2K video at up to 30fps, 4K at 60 fps and 1080p at 240fps. You also get 10-bit F-log and F-Log2 recording, shockingly good for a small, photo-centric camera with a fixed lens. The only downside is relatively low data rates (200Mbps max) due to the slow cards, but you can capture ProRes to an external recorder.
Fujifilm’s X100VI is now on pre-order for $1,600 in silver or black, with shipping slated for early March 2024. The company is also offering a special edition version “engraved with the corporate brand logo from Fujifilm’s founding in 1934” for $2,000. It has vowed to reduce the long lead times of the previous model by manufacturing it in China like other recent models.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/fujifilms-x100vi-is-a-big-step-forward-for-the-tiktok-famous-compact-camera-100918040.html?src=rss
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